Ripples Beneath the Surface
by Ebony-Roses
Summary: In a world where a girl’s worth was measured by her beauty, could a taiyoukai possibly love a ningen girl despite her humanity, and appearances?


**Ripples Beneath the Surface**

**A/N:** Alright, so I decided to temporarily post-pone "The Things We Do For Love". I totally lost my inspiration for that story, but I will, however, finish it in due time. So, here's my newest story, I will be working on this full-time now, considering I just finished the one-shot I was working on. It's called The Hunt, if you haven't read it. It's only posted on Mediaminer, and Adultfanfiction, because it contains lemons, so check it out if you haven't. Anyways, on with the story. Btw, it's an A/U. It doesn't follow the Inuyasha storyline at all. This is also a pretty lengthy story, so I apologize beforehand.

* * *

Every night she saw him steal away to the lake. Every night, she sat in the darkness and watched him. Every night, she wanted to make her presence known, and approach him, but she knew he would never give her the time of day . . . maybe back then . . . but now . . . never.

Sesshoumaru stripped off his robes, and waded into the crystalline lake. The moon shone overhead, casting an eerie glow onto the cascading waters below. This was his daily ritual. This place was his haven away from the stress, bloodshed, and problems of his life. Here, he was free to relax. Here he was his own person again, and not his father's fierce general. He let out an elongated sigh that sounded almost like a whimper, and soaked in his surroundings. The same great scent hung in the air again. He didn't know the source of the smell, but whenever he came, there would always be a sweet lingering scent in the air. Whatever it was, it was greatly calming, and he welcomed it. The cold air caressed his skin as the gentle waves of the lake massaged his muscles, washing away all the knots.

A twig snapped nearby. His attention immediately focused to the side, trying to find the source of the noise. Small brown eyes stared back him in fear. He raised an amused eyebrow, and threw a rock at the bank startling the little squirrel, who picked up his nut and scampered away. He didn't know why, but even though he felt extremely safe, and calm in this place, he always felt as if someone was watching him. He scanned the area around him, and kicked himself mentally for being paranoid. If there was anyone there, he would've picked up on their scent long ago.

After an hour of soaking, and cleansing himself, Sesshoumaru decided he should head back to the castle, before someone noticed he was gone. He waded towards the shore, and began to put his clothes back on.

* * *

She let out the breath she had been holding, when he snapped his attention towards her. Those piercing amber orbs were directed right at her. She was so scared that she had been discovered. Luckily, the little squirrel had diverted his attention away from her. This wasn't the first time that he had almost caught her watching him. Ever since she had discovered his little secret about a year ago, she had made it part of her daily routine to watch him, and he had nearly caught her on so many occasions, though she always manage to elude him. Of course, she was no peeping tom. She never watched him, while he disrobed. She would divert her eyes, when he stripped, and only watched him again, when he was safely concealed beneath the waters.

She had loved him ever since she could remember, but if she had to pin-point one exact moment, when she fell in love with him, it would have to be shortly after her 14th birthday, though it was not love at first sight. She could still remember clearly the first time she met him. The first time she met him, she had hated him. The first word that came out of her mouth, when she met him was "hentai!". She smiled as she recalled that specific moment. It was so long ago that they had met.

She might've died, if it weren't for his help. Her mother, her nursemaid, her handmaidens, and a band of her father's soldiers were escorting her on her way to this very lake to perform her coming of age ceremony. She would never forget that day. She was ecstatic to know that she was finally making the transition into womanhood. She had been watching the trees as they disappeared by her carriage, one after the next, when she noticed a man holding a sword disappearing behind a tree. She had alerted her mother to this, but her mother just brushed it aside, and said she was probably too excited, and seeing things. But she knew what she saw, and she was proven right, when an arrow flew through the air, and hit her nursemaid clear in the head.

Her mother had grabbed her at that point, and ducked beneath the seat of the carriage. She could still remember the blood-curdling screams of the handmaids, and her own, when she saw the bloody dead face of her nursemaid. She could remember hearing the fighting going on outside, as her carriage came to a crashing halt. Two of her father's soldiers opened the door to the carriage, and escorted her, and her mother out. They had to separate them in order to raise their chances of surviving, so her mother, and her parted ways, each going with one soldier. Luckily, the bandits only followed one of them, but unfortunately, the one that they had to decided follow was her. The soldier dug his heels into the horse's sides, trying to get it to go faster. The bandits were on their heels.

" Hime-sama, do you know how to ride a horse?" The soldier peered over his shoulder at her. His eyebrows were furrowed together, and there was a frown upon his face. Sweat dripped down the side of his face, and onto the armour he wore. He waited for her answer.

She replied with a tentative " Hai".

" Good." He released the straps that held his wakizahi in place, and pulled the sword from his waist, and handed it to her. " Here take this. It might come in handy later on. I wish you the best of luck. Follow this dirt trail, until you come to a fork. From there, take the right path. That's the right path Hime-sama."

She tied the sword around her waist, and looked up to see the soldier drawing his katana. " Wait, why are you telling me this? What are you doing?"

" Because, the horse will run swifter with one person. It will be an honour to give my life to protect you Hime-sama." He passed her the reins of the horse, and slid one leg across the horse, so that he was now sidesaddle as well.

" No, don't leave me alone," she protested grabbing onto his sleeve.

" I'm sorry, but that is one order, I cannot follow. They will get us both, if I stay. This way, you'll still have a chance."

She stared at him, and relented, when she saw the determination in his eyes. There was no way she could dissuade him. " I understand. Thank-you. Please tell me your name, and last wishes, so that I may re-pay your kindness to me to your family."

" Watashi no namae wa Hamasato Jinen desu. Sayonara, Hime-sama." With those words, he readied his sword, and jumped from the horse. The horse feeling lighter without the added weight, started running a lot faster. She couldn't look back. She didn't look back, because she didn't want to see another man sacrificing his life to save hers. She stared straight ahead, and forged onward.

It wasn't long, before she approached the fork in the road. " The right path, the right path." She pulled the reins as hard as she could to the right, hoping the horse would follow. Unfortunately for her, she just wasn't strong enough, and the horse continued on the path straight into the forest.

Though at the time, she didn't understand why the bandits didn't follow her, after the ordeal, however, she realized that it was because that forest was the boundary of the Western land, where the very powerful dog demons ruled. The forest scared her terribly. It was thick, and dense, and hardly any light reached the forest floor.

She could hear the cries of many animals around her. She clutched the reins tightly, hoping that none of those animals wanted to eat her. As the horse trotted deeper and deeper into the forest, an eerie silence overcame the surrounding area. The cries from various forest animals were no longer heard. The only sound that she could hear was the rhythmatic clicking of her horse's hooves upon the forest floor. She silently prayed that the feeling of unease within her belly was misguided. It seemed that her prayers were not answered, as she heard snarling behind her.

She didn't even turn around to see what it was, she flicked the reins, and started the horse into a sprint. As the horse continued running, the growls got louder. It was soon apparent that whatever was following her, there was more than one, and they weren't stopping anytime soon. She turned to her side, and saw two red eyes staring back at her. " Oh my Kami! Ookami! Some one help me!" she screamed. She looked to her other side and saw another one. They were catching up to her. She looked back to her other side, just in time to see the wolf jump into the air to pounce. She screamed loudly, and quickly ducked, clutching tightly at the horse's neck. Thankfully, the wolf missed.

She knew she couldn't keep this up, the wolves would get her eventually if she did nothing. Feeling around her waist, she reached for the handle of the wakizashi and pulled it from its sheath. She started swinging the sword frantically from side to side, trying to swipe at any wolf that got too close. She managed to hit one across the snout as it stretched out to bite her. It let out a whine, and backed away, running about three feet away from her. Just as she hoped, it deterred any of the other wolves from trying the same thing. It seemed as though they were waiting until her horse tired itself out, before they would attack.

She clutched the reins, and frantically urged the horse to go faster, not that the horse really needed any coaxing. The mere presence of the wolves had sent the horse sprinting. She could make out a clearing ahead of her. She was almost to the other side of the forest. If she could make it out, the wolves would lose the advantage of the forest surrounding. She could see the daylight up ahead, it was her only hope. The wolves most likely would not venture out into the daylight- or at least she hoped.

The wolves must have seen the sunlight as well, and knew they were going to lose the prey, if they didn't act soon. They started to disperse, a few of them running up well ahead of her. She had a sinking suspicion that they were going to do something extremely detrimental to her escape plan. She looked up ahead to see an ookami blocking her path. Clutching the reins, she urged the horse onward, hoping a single wolf wouldn't spook the horse. With perfect ease, the horse did a perfect jump over the ookami, but the victory was short-lived, however, as six wolves stood ahead of them.

This time, the loud growling did spook the horse, and it started to rear, slowing down immensely. In her efforts to hold onto the horse, she threw the wakizashi at the one of the wolves trying to scare it away. The last thing she needed right now was to be thrown from the horse. The wolves now formed a very neat circle around her, and her horse. Seeing that escape was now impossible, she did the only thing that she could do in this situation- she screamed at the top of her lungs. "HELP ME!"

The wolves began to close in on her, and her horse was getting restless. It moved its head from side to side, rearing every once in a while to kick at a wolf that got too close. She heard a loud growling near her, and looked up to see a wolf sitting on a branch of a tree, ready to pounce. She sat on her horse, shock still as the wolf flew towards her. She closed her eyes, and steeled herself, knowing that the end was inevitable. She waited for the impact, but it never came. She opened her eyes to see the wolf sitting on the forest floor, split in two. She could feel the few droplets of blood that had splattered onto her face as she looked around at the other wolves.

She couldn't follow what was happening. All that she could make out was the faint outline of a green whip as it flew from one wolf to the next, efficiently killing them all with one swipe. As much as she was happy that the wolves were gone, she didn't want to stick around, and see what was killing them off. She dug her heels into the side of the horse, and sped off towards the edge of the forest. She didn't get very far, before all of a sudden, she was thrown through the air. The last thing she could remember was pain, and a surrounding warmth, then nothing, but darkness.

* * *

When she came to the first thing that she felt was pain, and lots of it. She looked down only to realize that she wasn't wearing anything. Her kimono was draped over her, and her midsection was bandaged in what looked like a torn sleeve of a haori. It felt like she had broken several ribs, and she was certain that she did. She started to feel lightheaded, so she laid back down, and closed her eyes intent on resting, but a cold voice cut through the silence.

" Ningen, who are you?"

She opened her eyes slowly before getting up. She looked past the fire, and noticed a dark figure walking out of the shadows. He was the most peculiar creature she had ever seen. He was definitely handsome- his amber eyes, and silver hair, made him look unearthly. He was regally dressed all in white. He looked absolutely angelic, but the stoic expression and the demon markings revealed that he was far from such. The only flaw she could see was the missing sleeve of his haori, to which she had an inkling to what might've happened to it. The realization made her blush a deep crimson, until she realized something else that made her face red with anger. She peered up at the youkai, who was watching her intently, before yelling at the top of her lungs.

" You hentai! Why did you undress me! Do you know who I am! I swear if my father-"

The demon gave her a hard glare that shut her up immediately. His amber gaze was piercing, and it had a paralyzing effect on her.

" How dare you insult this Sesshoumaru? Do not worry yourself ningen. This Sesshoumaru would never find pleasure in gazing upon a human wench's undeveloped body. Now, as it is obvious you did not hear me correctly the first time, tell me who you are, before I decide that my desire to kill you outweighs my curiosity to your identity," Sesshoumaru growled at her.

She opened her mouth to retort, but as if he read her mind, he added, " Do not try my patience again wench. I will blame your last outburst on human stupidity, but do not think for one moment that I would hesitate to kill you, should you choose to be insolent again."

She re-thought what she was going to say, and sighed before whispering, " I am the Hime of the Kasaiken clan, Sonkei-sama's daughter."

Even though his expression didn't change, it was apparent that Sesshoumaru was thinking some things over in his head. " Sleep ningen, this Sesshoumaru will bring you back to the Western Palace in the morning, when I am done patrolling these borders. Inu no Taisho will decide your fate. You are not to leave this campsite, understood?" Sesshoumaru called over his shoulder as he walked away, not bothering to get her reply.

" Hai, baka-sama," she whispered bitterly, while looking in the direction that the demon had disappeared in, hoping that he hadn't heard her, but half-wishing that he did. Who did he think he was? She was a Hime. He was probably just a common soldier, how dare he treat her like that? Demon, or not, she was not afraid of him.

* * *

" Sesshoumaru-sama!"

" Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Since they had arrived, every single demon that crossed their path had gotten down on one knee to greet the stoic demon in front of her. She was beginning to believe that she had sorely misjudged his rank. She was so engrossed in her thinking that she did not notice the demon in front of her stopping, and she nearly bumped into him.

" Ningen, stay here. Move from this spot, and I will make it your last mistake," he growled, without turning around. Before she could retort, he slid the large double-doors in front of him open, and walked in.

About half an hour later, the huge golden doors slid open, and a rather ferocious looking demon with ragged scars across his face walked up to her. " Hime-sama, Inu no Taisho will meet with you now. Please follow me." His voice, and mannerism contrasted greatly with his form.

She followed him into the big room. There were five desk-like tables around the room. Two on either side, and one on a slightly raised platform at the back of the room. The situation was actually quite intimidating. Two of the youkais on the right side of the room were glaring daggers at her, while the other two were looking at her with gentle amusement. The youkai sitting on the raised platform was the spitting image of the youkai that had rescued her. She had almost mistaken him for Sesshoumaru, but it was their eyes that were telling. Sesshoumaru's eyes were cold and hard, while the eyes of the youkai in front of her were warm, yet firm.

" So, you are Sonkei-sama's daughter?" His voice was authoritative, yet it wasn't harsh.

" Hai," she replied, with eyes downcast.

" Do not be afraid, young hime. Look at me, when you speak. I will not harm you. I give you my word as Toga, the Inu no Taisho of the Western Lands." She raised her head to find him smiling gently at her, and she tentatively returned a small grin. " Now, tell me. Why are you in my territory? My son tells me that he found you running away from some stray ookami."

" Hai. My mother, and I were being escorted to the small lake at the edge of the forest, when we were attacked by bandits. My mother, and I were separated, and the bandits chased after me. I was forced into the forest, and the next thing I knew I was being chased by ookami. That was all I remembered, before . . ." She blushed at the memory of what happened after, she avoided his curious stare, and finished her story. " That was all I remembered before I was brought here."

A thoughtful look crossed his features. " I have decided," he spared her another smile, before looking over his shoulder at the youkai that had saved her, whom she hadn't noticed the entire time. She looked over at him to find him staring intently at her. She wondered mildly if that was what he had been doing the entire time. She had a feeling it was, and it caused her to blush madly, and look away.

" Sesshoumaru, you are to escort this young lady back to Kasaiken tomorrow at the break of dawn. I will join you once I have settled the affairs here. Are we clear?"

" As you wish, father."

" Now that that's settled, take the young lady to her room, she must be exhausted. Aren't you?" He queried in her direction.

" Actually, not at all my lord. I am fine."

" In that case, Sesshoumaru, why don't you show the poor girl around the palace. Take her on a tour of the gardens?" She could see Sesshoumaru visibly stiffen at his command, and she could feel the glare he was shooting her way.

" Actually my lord, I think I should just retire. I wouldn't want to be a bother-"

" Nonsense! Sesshoumaru has nothing to do now that he has finished his border patrol. Besides, I can't think of a better way to spend an evening, than in the company of such an alluring young hime," Toga winked at her, before dismissing them both.

Sesshoumaru walked out of the room. She blindly followed him.

" Uh, if it's not too much trouble, may I ask where we are going?"

" You heard my father, I am to escort you around the palace, and through the gardens . . ."

* * *

She was quite uncomfortable being in such close proximity with him, strolling through such a romantic setting. The stars were glittering in the night sky, and there was crescent moon like the one on his forehead shining above.

Her discomfort was soon forgotten as she peered around the beautiful garden. It was huge, and there were lots of exotic plants, and flowers in full bloom. The water rushed over a mini waterfall in one corner of the garden, washing the fallen petals from the sakura tree along the river. Little fireflies danced from one fragrant flower to the next, while the crickets played softly, breaking the silence of the night. There was a beautiful golden flower that was at the edge of the little pond. It was a single bloom that seemed to glow almost with a light of its own. " Kawaii! Sesshoumaru-sama, what kind of flower is that?" She asked curiously, pointing to the exotic bloom.

" That is an Assina Blossom." Seeing that she was going to touch it, he added, " It is a highly poisonous flower." She immediately stopped reaching for it, deciding to admire its beauty from afar instead.

" Is it a native of the Western Lands?" She asked, not being able to take her eyes off the beautiful flower.

" Iie. It is a rare flower that my mother brought from her homeland. They only bloom once every 50 years. You ningen are very lucky to have seen it," Sesshoumaru remarked as he sat down on a nearby bench.

She walked over, and sat down beside him. " Sesshoumaru-sama, where is your mother from? How did your parents meet?"

He sat there quietly for a while, and she was beginning to think that he would not answer, but soon his firm voice broke the silence. " She's from a land very far away from here. She was the hime of her homeland, but she had to flee her country, because it was constantly plagued by wars. She came here to the Western Lands to seek refuge, and she met my father." Sesshoumaru had his eyes closed, as he told her his mother's story. Though no emotions passed his face, his voice was softer than usual as he talked about his mother in a very matter-of-factly manner.

" Oh, did she bring the Assina Blossom with her when she fled her country? It must've been pretty hard to preserve such a delicate flower, while running for your life," she asked quietly, taking the opportunity to stare at his face. She noted the red markings contrasted greatly with the colour of his hair. A strand of silver had escaped from behind his point ear, and it blew across his face. She had to sit on her hand to resist the urge to tuck it back for him.

For the whole day, and a half that she had known him, she had to fight the pull to run her hand through the silky strains of his hair. It looked so soft, and shiny. She wondered what it would feel like if his hair were to caress her skin. She pulled her hands up and cupped her cheeks, trying to dissuade herself from blushing at the thought.

" Iie. My father had it brought here for her last birthday, after she started getting homesick. It was the only thing that put a smile upon my mother's face." Sesshoumaru opened his eyes, and his amber orbs stared intensely at her. She had to look away to keep herself from blushing again. Trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation, she asked the first question that came to mind.

" Where is your mother? Will I get to meet her?" When she was answered with silence, she looked up only to see him glaring at her. He got up, and began to walk away from her.

" Sesshoumaru-sama?" She questioned, getting up to follow him.

" Ningen, do not ask questions that do not concern you. I am beginning to tire of your presence. You talk too much. I have honoured my father's request by allowing you into the gardens, and enduring your childish banter for a good part of the night. I believe it time for you to retire to your room. " Without so much as a backwards glance, he stalked off leaving her alone boiling with anger.

" Hey! Wait! I don't know where my room is!" She yelled as she ran after him. ' Oh! That demon definitely knows how to get on my nerves . . .'

* * *

Early the next morning, she was led to the courtyard, where a very irritated Sesshoumaru, and smug-looking Toga stood waiting. Even if it weren't for the hard glare he gave her, she could sense that she was the cause of Sesshoumaru's irritation just from the way, Toga looked from her to Sesshoumaru with a smirk on his face.

" Sayonara, my dear. My son will escort you safely home. You two should get going now. It's getting late," Toga remarked as he walked over to meet her. " Sesshoumaru, why don't you help her into the carriage?"

" Iie, iie. I will manage fine on my own. I do not want to be a bother," she replied as she waved her hands frantically. The last thing she wanted to do was irritate the annoyed youkai further than he was.

" Nonsense. We wouldn't want you to fall, and hurt yourself. A youkai carriage is a lot higher than a ningen's. Sesshoumaru?" Toga called to his son over his shoulder. She saw the quiet anger burning in his eyes as she dutifully walked over to him. She saw the reluctance in his gesture as he held out his hand to help her onto the carriage. She stared at the markings on his wrists, before blushing, realizing that she had been staring. She placed her hand in his as she tried to step into the carriage. She pulled back, when it was apparent that the carriage was indeed too high for her to reach, especially in her restrictive kimono. She looked up at Sesshoumaru for help.

She could've sworn she heard him sigh, before placing both hands on her waist, and hoisting her up into the carriage. Their eyes locked momentarily, and she couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of those strong hands wrapped around her waist. The heat they gave off, and the strength they conveyed made her feel oddly safe, despite the fact that she could see the annoyance in his amber gaze. Without sparing her a second glance, he got onto his horse, and they started riding out through the palace gates.

**

* * *

Japanese Vocab:**

Baka - Idiot

Kasaiken - Fire Sabre/Fire Sword

Haori - Top part of Sesshoumaru's clothing

Hentai - Pervert

Hime-sama - Princess

Inu no Taisho- Leader of the Dogs

Ningen - Human

Ookami - Wolf

Sama - Suffix denoting respect, or nobility

Sonkei -Honour/Respect

Wakizashi - Short sword

Watashi no namae wa desu - My name is

Youkai -demon

**A/N:** Originally, I wanted to get through the sequences of the flashbacks all in one chapter, but then it would be like 20 pages, so I figured I better split it into two chapters. Anyways, just two things, first of all youkai in my story cannot transform, so their true form is their human form. They differ from humans by the way they look, and their inhuman strength, speed, etc. Secondly, humans, and demons do interact, but the humans look upon the demons as savages, and the demons, well they still look upon humans as weak. Though there is still opposition to demon/human joinings, it is more common and more acceptable. Hanyous are accepted as well.


End file.
